A record total of 36 new foreign direct investmnet projects were approved by Malta Enterprise between May-December 2013, and another 17 new projects were approved in the first six months of this year, ME said.

It said this morning these were expected to generate 624 new jobs.

ME said that in 2010, it had only approved two new FDI projects. In 2011, the number of new FDI projects went up to 11 and in 2012, only two new FDI projects were approved.

It said from July 2012 to March 2013, when there was a change of administration, there was no one responsible for investment promotion in China.

ME said that, before that, the only other person responsible for investment promotion in China had prematurely terminated his contract as external consultant in July 2012.

The person concerned was recruited directly by then ME chairman Alan Camilleri in April 2010 without a public call. Although the contract was for three years, the person left after only two.

“We understand that Malta Enterprise was not satisfied with the contractor’s performance. However, given that the contractor concerned was given an impossible task (that of exclusive responsibility for investment promotion for the whole of China and Asia) without commensurate resources and without clearly defined and focused objectives, it is not at all surprising that there were no results whatsoever.”

ME said it now had active investment promotion programmes in the United States, Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, the Ukraine, Russia, China, including Hong Kong, Egypt and Algeria.

It was planning to intensify these programmes by end of the year. It also intended to expand its range of operations to other countries next year, namely in Switzerland, Austria, Australia, Finland, Turkey, Canada and South Korea. A further expansion was planned for 2016.